Tag Archives: tesla

Elon Musk promised that the Tesla Semi reveal would “blow your mind clear out of your skull and into an alternate dimension”. The truck is certainly a game-changer for the logistics industry, but Tesla faces some steep challenges if it plans to win over the commercial market.

We can’t wait to see these trucks on the road. The sleek, bullet-train shaped cab of the Tesla Semis will be instantly recognisable once they hit the freeways in 2020 – if Tesla can overcome the production delays which are increasingly plaguing the organisation.

What can the Tesla Semi actually do?

Equipped with a battery instead of a diesel tank, the Tesla Semi is capable of travelling 804km (500 miles) on a single electric charge – even with a full 36,000kg load. Its autopilot system will go a long way towards eliminating human error in truck accidents, with the ability to automatically:

detect instability and adjust each wheel individually to make jack-knifing “impossible”

maintain a set speed and slow down in traffic

keep the vehicle in its lane with lane detection and lane departure warnings, and

lock onto other Tesla Semis to travel in a convoy.

Charging will take place via a planned, worldwide network of solar-powered “Megachargers”, which will be added to Tesla’s existing network of 2000 Supercharger stations which are in place to power Model S sedans. For drivers in a hurry, a 30-minute charge will enable 640km (nearly 400 miles).

Inside the cab, the driver’s seat is positioned in the centre of the space (which has full standing room), allowing better visibility. The seat is flanked on both sides by touch screens that provide blind spot monitoring and navigation. The truck also comes with tracking features to be used by a fleet manager for routing, monitoring and scheduling.

What’s the cost?

Unknown – Musk didn’t reveal the unit price on stage, but claimed the Tesla Semi would cost 20% less per mile than a diesel-powered truck. Whatever the price is, it’s only likely to fall in the future as regulations on diesel continue to tighten, charging infrastructure improves and the costs of batteries fall.

Despite the unknown price, pre-orders have started flowing in from companies including Wal-Mart (15 trucks), Meijer (4 trucks), and J.B. Hunt (“multiple trucks”).

Will we see these trucks on the road in 2020?

“If you order now, you get your truck in two years”, Musk said at the reveal. The company, however, has been known to over-promise and under-deliver when it comes to production deadlines. The Model 3 sedan, for example, has been beset by 18-month delays. While the company’s consumer fans are apparently willing to tolerate delays, commercial trucking companies are likely to be less patient. The Tesla Semi notably represents the company’s first foray into the commercial vehicle market.

In other news this week:

NAFTA Negotiations Struggle Onward

Reports from the NAFTA negotiations reveal that little progress has been made on U.S. demands that could potentially sink the 1994 trade pact between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Officials are currently meeting in Mexico City for the fifth of seven planned rounds of talks. Upcoming presidential elections in Mexico mean that a deal needs to be reached by late March 2018.

New U.S. demands include a five-year sunset clause, and tightening of rules of origin to boost the North American content of autos. Other issues discussed include labour, gender, intellectual property, energy, and telecommunications.

While Mexican officials have said “the work is moving forward”, Canadian negotiators complained on Friday about inflexibility by the United States.

Calvin Klein is offering an exclusive line on Amazon only for Black Friday sales, in a move that reflects the increasing shift away from traditional stores.

The company has announced a holiday retail experience called “Calvin Klein X Amazon Fashion”, with underwear and denim available exclusively in an online Amazon brand store and in Amazon pop-up shops in New York and Los Angeles through to December 31st.

Amazon’s pop-up stores pose another threat to brick-and-mortar retailers, in additional to the sales shift to online retail.

Imagine an aircraft that can take off and land vertically, but isn’t a helicopter. It has an intelligent pilot, but there’s no human being sitting at the controls. Boeing has propelled itself into the world of futuristic aircraft with its acquisition of Aurora Flight Sciences.

Boeing announced on Friday that it will acquire Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation, a company that specialises in advanced robotic aircraft. Aurora already has an impressive portfolio of autonomous aircraft, including vehicles it has been working on with Uber for its flying taxi project.

Much of Aurora’s business in the past has been with the U.S. Military, namely DARPA (The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and NASA. Its aircraft have attracted interest (and funding) mainly due to its advanced Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) technology, with the small company beating out Boeing and Lockheed Martin last year to build the VTOL X-Plane for DARPA.

What does Boeing plan to do with this technology? The organisation’s press release doesn’t reveal much, but there’s speculation that the acquisition will help bolster Boeing’s own expertise in autonomous aircraft and VTOL tech, with most of that knowledge being funnelled into military aircraft. On the civilian side, the combination of autonomous piloting and VTOL technology are ideal for finally developing the drone taxis we’ve been hoping for. It is unclear whether Aurora will continue to work with Uber on this project.

A report in the Wall Street Journal notes that the acquisition is likely to have an impact on the jet maker’s supply chain long before it produces self-flying planes: “The technology includes … machine learning capability, which could be used to make industrial operations more efficient. Aurora produces composite parts for aircraft and other vehicles, potentially a big attraction to Boeing as it looks to take greater command of its supply chain.”

In other news this week:

Air France Testing Blockchain Technology

Air France KLM’s engineering and maintenance division is evaluating the potential for Blockchain to become its new digital ledger for managing replacement parts on in-service aircraft.

A spokesperson noted that Blockchain’s resilience, traceability, integrity and disintermediation are well suited to the aviation supply chain.

Elon Musk On Track To Win Solar Battery Bet

Elon Musk has announced that Tesla has reached the halfway point of construction on the “world’s biggest battery” in South Australia.

The company has a 100-day deadline to complete the construction of a 100-megawatt battery array, or it will build it for free.